Kalaupapa

In the 1800's, King Kamehameha banished all people of Hawaii with leprosy (Hansen's disease) to the remote Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai. The colony closed in 1969, but the settlement remained home to the few patients left. Over 8,000 people have died here since the 1800's.

As a marine scientist for the Kalaupapa National Historical Park from 2012-2015, I had the amazing opportunity to see and study the coral reefs, streams, and forests of Kalaupapa. These are scenes from my work and life.